Sex Education Needs Guidelines

August 7, 1988

I WOULD like the opportunity to clarify the position of ''concerned parents'' in the debate on the sex-education curriculum, which was approved on Tuesday.

Contrary to what seems to be implied in your editorial last Sunday and in quotes of others, we are in favor of sex education in our school system. Our concern is that the sex curriculum contain the proper approach to teaching sex education. Indeed, many of us have tried for more than a year to have input into the possible materials used. The issue here is not ''yes'' to sex education or ''no'' to sex education; it is the issue of clear directives or no directives. We applauded the board's guidelines early in the sessions and still applaud the guidelines. Too bad board members did not understand their own expectations.

Our real concern here is with the children of our school district. I hope no parent has a problem with what is being taught in the classroom, because there is nothing in the curriculum to support the guidelines. Teachers have free rein. We have no document by which to hold them accountable. Our school board was so open-minded it failed to give us that.

Did we not have time to consider our children? What is the big hurry? Who said the curriculum had to be in place when school starts Aug. 22? Not the state. We could easily iron out the kinks and teach the other sections of the course for weeks into the beginning of the school term.

I, for one, have re-registered as a Democrat in order to endorse Chris Colombo for superintendent. We need some big changes. Board seats are open, too. Let's have help in getting directives.